


Love Is the Flower That Must Be Grown

by mneiai



Series: mneiai's Spooky Week [6]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Dubious Consent, Flowers, Language of Flowers, M/M, Mind Manipulation, No beta we die like younglings, Obsession, Secret Admirer, Sith magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:15:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27274789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mneiai/pseuds/mneiai
Summary: The bouquets were a little piece of comfort during the harsh days thrown back into the thick of the war. Their pleasant smell wafted throughout his berth, drifting to him at moments when he'd become distracted, appearing within his meditations, his dreams colored with the flowers.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Sheev Palpatine
Series: mneiai's Spooky Week [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1985102
Comments: 12
Kudos: 175
Collections: Spooky Wars Week





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Spooky Wars Week, Day 6: "The Unknown Regions"
> 
> I created a Naboo Flower Language for this, most of the flowers/plants are canon (or at least Legends), though some I've made up.

The first bouquet arrived when Obi-Wan was taking a much needed rest at the Temple for a few days. He didn't think many people but the other Council members and his close friends like Bant and Anakin were even aware he was there.

It was a beautiful display of flowers and leafy decorations and despite the oddness of receiving such a gift (and with no one to credit it to), he found himself moved to keep it in his apartment, setting it on a table in the center of his living room.

Before the first bouquet had wilted enough to be discarded, something Obi-Wan found himself regretting, a second appeared. It was just before he was set to ship out again and it was packaged well enough he could bring it with him back onto the Negotiator, resting inside a weak stasis field that would preserve the plants for months with a negligible power allotment.

They were a little piece of comfort during the harsh days thrown back into the thick of the war. Their pleasant smell wafted throughout his berth, drifting to him at moments when he'd become distracted, appearing within his meditations, his dreams colored with the flowers.

It was silly to get attached to something like _flowers_ , especially for a Jedi, but when the stasis field just couldn't hold back the inevitable decay of picked flowers anymore, he missed them.

He was in the middle of a negotiation on a Mid-Rim planet that supplied certain staple foods for the GAR, one going surprisingly well, when a third bouquet arrived. They were having a casual luncheon, the culture believing in spending social time together to build rapport and make negotiations less tense, so no one thought anything of the figure coming towards the large table.

Until they stopped right next to Obi-Wan and presented him with a new bouquet. From an anonymous sender.

He hid his smile by taking a long sniff of the flowers, as a nearby representative tittered.

"You have quite the admirer!"

"They _have_ been going out of their way to gift me these."

"Oh, yes, of course--however, I meant the _meaning_."

He raised his eyebrows, looking between xir and the bouquet. "Meaning? From the flowers?"

And now he was kicking himself, because he was aware that there were a variety of cultures with flower languages, but he'd never thought to check.

"I don't know all of the meanings, mind you, the flowers look mostly to be native to Naboo."

It took a great deal of his Jedi resolve not to react to that. He couldn't imagine why any of the Naboo he knew would play at being a _secret_ admirer (or any admirer at all, in truth) and hoped this wasn't someone who grew up on stories of the Jedi that saved their planet and become too attached to some fantasy version of him. He'd had such things happen in the past and they were never pleasant.

"That certainly gives me a starting point, my thanks."

At the very least, he could attempt to find out what the person was saying, before making any leaps of logic.

***

According to the Dictionary of Naboo Flower Language that Madame Nu dug up in the Temple Archives, Obi-Wan's translation of the most recent bouquet didn't do much to either settle his worries or reveal the identity of the sender.

Blue caze buds for acceptance, xharnoh flowers for a mind clouded with love, millaflower for a great respect, doriiyan which meant the phrase "I think of you," and hsuberry blossoms for good health and protection. 

All of it except the blue caze buds, he noticed, had been twined with a near-sparkling dark blue vine that was extremely thin, though seemed quite sturdy, that he couldn't find listed in the book. But, since it served as some sort of support, he decided it might just not have any meaning or be from another planet altogether. Sometimes parts of a bouquet must just be decorative, like the shining crystal vases they came in, clear interspersed with red.

He probably should refuse the next ones, he knew, until the sender gave up, but a part of him just...didn't feel right, doing that.

Instead, he decided to start searching for them. After all, he had a fairly good starting point with Senator Amidala, who was hardly the type to send her lover's old Master these sorts of flowers.

Upon hearing about why he requested a meeting, she seemingly cleared her schedule for the night and had him stop by. Excitement radiated off of her and she and some of her aides that were there sighed over the bouquet. Anakin relegated himself to a seat on the other side of the room, making a show of rolling his eyes any time Obi-Wan looked in his direction.

"On Naboo, it's believed the flowers don't just have a language, but influence over the person receiving them. If you receive a flower for good luck, you'll have better luck. A flower for health, and you'll be in good health." She noticed his expression. "It's not just quaint folklore, there's been studies that show many of our plants actually do have corresponding properties, even in their pollen.

"...Though there is, of course, folklore of magic that can make them more real. There's actually an interesting old story about a Sith making them all strong and true and using the flowers that bring anger to influence her enemies into killing their own allies."

Obi-Wan wrinkled his nose. "Yes, that sounds like a very Sith thing to do."

“At least we can be sure a Sith isn’t sending you wishes for good health,” Anakin muttered, proving he had been paying some attention, at least.

He laughed at the very idea. Even Dooku wouldn’t wish him such a thing (though the idea of Ventress pouring over some Flower Language book was hilarious).

***

During a recess of the Council, one of the few times Obi-Wan made it in person, a Temple Guard stepped in carrying a container. "This was left for you, Master Kenobi. The courier didn't have a name for who sent it, but none of our scans showed anything malicious."

Obi-Wan ducked his head at the knowing looks from his fellow Masters, all of them having heard about his admirer by now. They didn't stop him from taking the container with words of thanks or from bringing it back to his seat and opening it--they still had some minutes, after all, in their break.

Unsurprisingly, it was a bouquet. One in an interesting base that, when he set it out from him, extended into a tall stand. A perfect height to rest near his chair in the Council Chambers.

Had his admirer been inside, then? Was it another Jedi, after all? Or one of the Senators?

He could identify some now, by their names and meanings, and found himself smiling fondly. The often present hsuberry blossoms for good health and protection, beautiful blue and yellow ryoo flowers for concentration and good memory, zaela for peace, abilla which were supposed to be a powerful ward against evil, and the red hydenock flowers spotted here and there for courage and strength. Once more, the decorative vine was skillfully twined around the various stems, adding depth and a contrasting color.

"I apologize for the distraction, I can have this brought to my apartment if--"

"Nonsense, Obi-Wan. It might be unusual, but it brings a nice new vitality to this place."

He narrowed his eyes at Mace. "You just want to make pointed comments about the sender."

Mace gave an innocent look that Depa managed much better.

***

The bouquets kept coming and Obi-Wan could almost suspect that their “magical properties” were working--his missions had gotten drastically better over the months he’d been receiving them, though he knew that was pure coincidence. They also made it more obvious how, dare he even think it, peaceful his missions had become because they would often appear by courier while he was on one.

That any non-combatant could reach him, let alone safely leave a delicate bouquet of flowers with him, was not at all how his missions at the beginning of the war had been.

He had so many, and so many under weak stasis fields, that he began leaving some with others. On Kamino, in the office that Shaak Ti mostly occupied. On the bridges of the Negotiator and the Resolute. In the Council chambers there was almost always one, sometimes even two.

Every time he saw one, he perked up, as if energy was being restored to him. And those he left them with always took them with good-natured acceptance. Which he was happy about, because the war seemed to be draining others in a way it was no longer draining him--the people he saw most often were obviously getting more tired, more stressed, a few had even fallen ill.

The war couldn’t be over soon enough.

***

Finally, he received a bouquet with a flower that was so surprising he went straight to Padme with it.

Padme shook her head in wonder once it was revealed.

"Obi-Wan...the bhansgrek plants bloom once a century. Using them for something like this... It's a major declaration of intent. They want to be with you, are more than rich enough to support you, and are willing to make sacrifices if it means you'll be theirs."

His fingers slid along the soft petals, a shiver going down his spine he couldn’t quite place. “You’re the only one from Naboo I’m acquainted with who would have those kinds of resources.”

Smiling at his wry tone, Padme opened her mouth to answer, and froze like that, in a very unflattering position.

It was Rabe who had seemed to catch onto the exact thought that Padme had, but actually vocalized it. “Not the _only_ one. You know _Chancellor Palpatine_.”

Always friendly smiles, hands on his shoulder leading him along as they walked together, exchanged glances of commiseration when Anakin got started on one of his rants.

It _couldn’t_ be, though. Why would the _Chancellor_ be interested in _Obi-Wan_?

***

Confronting anyone about being his secret admirer seemed daunting--Obi-Wan had past relationships, but they’d always fallen into place without much need for something like courting. He’d never even considered sending flowers, let alone receiving them. Certainly not for months on end.

Would Palpatine be disappointed, he wondered, that it had taken Obi-Wan so long to figure out who was sending them?

Did he even _want_ to start a relationship with Palpatine? he asked himself, next, and then immediately dismissed the question--how could he not? 

Knowing his emotions as well as he did, as well as any Jedi did, Obi-Wan already knew he was half in love with his secret admirer. Knowing who they actually were wasn’t doing anything to dissuade him.

His ease at getting an appointment came as no surprise--now that the suggestion had been made, he _knew_ it was Palpatine.

Inside the Chancellor’s office, he wondered if Padme had tipped him off, because there were bouquets throughout, on every end table and on both sides of Palpatine’s desk. Breathing in, the smell was just on the good side of cloying, and made Obi-Wan instantly relax.

“I see you’ve found me out,” Palpatine teased, his eyes gleaming with the yellow light reflected from a nearby lamp.

“I apologize that it took me so long, Chancellor.”

“There’s no need for such formality, please, call me Sheev.”

Obi-Wan matched his smile, taking another deep breath before offering the Chancellor the same familiarity, “Then you must call me Obi-Wan. I would have never guessed you even liked me enough for something like this.”

“I admit, I didn’t always hold you in such high regard, despite Anakin’s praises. Since the beginning of this war, however, I’ve come to appreciate you greatly. Your skills, your mind.” Sheev drew him to the couch, where they sat with bouquets on all sides. “I knew I wanted to have you as my own.”

There was paperwork that Obi-Wan was supposed to be doing, and a minor Council meeting, and a variety of other tasks that filled his busy schedule. But the Chancellor of the Republic had cleared his whole day’s schedule to spend time in his office with Obi-Wan, it turned out, and how could Obi-Wan say no to that?

***

Sheev gently arranged the next bouquet for Obi-Wan to place in the Council Chambers, carefully wrapping the dark ice vine around the stems of the flowers as he whispered the incantations that went with it. The Dark Side energy within the vine was hidden behind the Living Force the other plants exuded, making it a plant of no consequence to most Force users. Like every other bouquet, and especially those meant for that particular room, the person receiving the gift would be granted what the flowers were meant to give...while everyone else spending time around them would receive the opposite.

It amused him to know his Obi-Wan benefited from patience, happiness, a sharp mind, and strong memory, while the useless Jedi on the Council were feeling the opposite. He could already see the influence, after just a few months--his last meeting with the Council had members nearly come to blows, Obi-Wan attempting to mediate, looking as though it was a common occurrence.

That the Jedi had never realized the deaths and pain wrought by the Battle of Ilum might affect the plant life there had been to the amusement of the Sith. And while few had taken advantage of what the planet could offer them, Sheev was from Naboo. It had struck his interest early on and been an operation that was easy to hide from his master.

And now, despite the disdain many other Sith had for such “frivolous” magic, it was bringing his plans together so nicely.


	2. Flower Language

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some of the flowers/plants and their meanings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a bunch of these and didn't use most, I'm kinda eh about some of the made up ones, though included a few here.

Abbila - Powerful against evil  
Bhansgrek flower - I treasure you  
Blue Caze buds - Acceptance  
Doriiyan - "I think of you"  
Hsuberry Blossoms - Protection/Health  
Hydenock (red) - Courage, strength  
Millaflower - I hold you in great respect  
Mintris - Coming together  
Rominaria flowers - Innocence  
Ryoo - Concentration and Good Memory  
Sapflower - Sharing  
Tea leaves (blue) - Longing  
Treeman's Herb - Eternal love  
Woosha plant - A love returned  
Xharnoh flowers - A mind clouded with love  
Zaela - Peace


End file.
